


Caged Bird Fighting

by Tassos



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: fandom_stocking, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-07
Updated: 2011-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-14 12:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/149122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tassos/pseuds/Tassos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vignette. An intermission during gladiator games.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caged Bird Fighting

**Author's Note:**

> For Syble4

“Easy, easy.” John’s hand was steady and tight in hers, his other bracing his elbow as he slowly lowered her to the floor. Teyla felt like he hand wouldn’t open properly again, like the grip of the bantos sticks was permanently etched into the palm of her hand.

“Just sit tight,” said John. He crossed to the other side of their small holding cell to the door that led to the rest of the complex. Through the outer door that led to the arena, Teyla heard the crowd chanting and the clatter of sticks. Ronon was out there now, facing two men and a beast, just as Teyla had minutes ago. John and Rodney had a name for it — gladiator fights — but Teyla had never before seen such barbarism of humans against humans.

John returned with cloth and water. “I don’t know how clean it is, but who knows what’s in the dirt out there.” Sweat shone on his brow from the heat, and like all of them he only wore is his t-shirt. Teyla felt hers stick to her skin.

Carefully, John began gently brushing the grit from the cuts on Teyla’s upper arm, and when he finished, the slash low on her side. It stung, but all of Teyla was one giant bruise, like an old woman whose strength had gone and all that was left were aching joints.

“How long was the fight?” Teyla had to lick her lips to ask the question.

“About twenty minutes,” said John looking up. He was worried but he pressed his lips together and didn’t ask the obvious and stupid questions.

“How bad is this one?” he asked instead, pointing with the cloth at her side. Teyla took a breath, felt the skin pull but nothing deep.

“Shallow,” she said. “I was lucky.”

“Yeah,” John grinned a little, “Lucky and kicking ass and taking names.”

Teyla had enough energy to smile back, but not much more. Twenty minutes of fighting for her life had left her drained. The men and beast were dead. “Ahh!”

“Sorry, sorry,” said John, pulling his hand away from the wound. His other steadied her shoulder, gripping tight and Teyla welcomed the bite of his nails into her flesh. She breathed through it, and then was past the worst. “Hey, I’m sorry.” John rubbed his hand up and down her arm, and a shiver went through Teyla.

“It is fine now,” she said. She shivered again, the flush of battle truly gone now, the cold seeping into her from the floor and the wall. “Rodney?”

But John shook his head. He set the cloth aside. “Still haven’t seen him. When we break out of here we’re going to have to find him.”

“I think it more likely that he will find us,” said Teyla. She wasn’t sure she would be able to walk let alone break them out anytime soon. She shivered again and didn’t say what they both knew. The were waiting on rescue from Atlantis now.

“Teyla. Teyla what’s wrong?”

She shook her head to clear it. “Just cold,” she said.

John grimaced, eyes scanning her for wounds one more time. The rest were just bruises. “Okay,” he said. “Scooch forward.”

“John.” It was an unexpected offer, and a welcome one. John did most of the “scooching,” helping Teyla off the wall so he could slide in behind her, careful of her injuries. His chest was warm against her back. John didn’t know what to do with his hands until Teyla took them slowly and wrapped them around her. Her muscles wouldn’t relax, not yet, but John’s presence in this place was a welcome solace.

Just beyond the walls, they could still hear Ronon fighting, the clack of the sticks, the shouting of the crowd, the death scream of one of the combatants. John’s arms tightened around her. Teyla clenched his hand in hers, said, “One down,” refusing to believe it was anyone but one of Ronon’s opponents.

“Two to go.”


End file.
